Leaving City of Rocks at Daybreak
We woke right at daybreak to get a start on the driving and get out of the park before the ranger came by. We were greeted by several deer in the park as we packed up and saw several more and an antelope on the way back to I-84 to head into Utah. We motored onto I-15 and into the northern SLC suburbs and stopped to eat breakfast and find some of the Lego-style levelers for the van since we couldn't find a level spot to park the night before.
Salt Lake was a driving nightmare. Construction was going on and traffic was heavy and moving very fast. We witnessed one bad accident right before the I-215 bypass. Storm clouds were forming as we headed south and by the time we arrived in Zion a thunderstorm was under way. We drove into the park watching lightening flash and set up camp in the rain at the Watchman campground.
Storm clouds entering Zion National Park
Camp at Watchman Campground, note we still have our awning
The weather broke right before sunset and we hiked up the Watchman trail to the overlook where we watched the sun set and the clouds rolling through the canyon.
View of Zion Canyon from Watchtower Trial
At the Watchman trail viewpoint